In the beautiful spring season, when the weather is warm and the sun is out every kid wants to play outside. Whether its baseball game or riding a small bike or just exploring in the garden are some of the interesting things that every child does.
You can see that there is value in all the things that a child experiences while outside and this includes gross motor skill development.
Here in this blog, we would be discussing some of the activities that play a vital role in developing gross motor skills in kids, The skills that are necessary in order to successfully navigate their surroundings.
1. Exploring Is Fun! – Let the Kid Explore
Exploring is a natural sensory experience. The kid learns so much when they are given the freedom to explore the world around them. They can lay down on the grass, pick dandelions or walk through the wood chips or cement. All these things would help him to learn how different things have different textures, sensations. These discoveries help them to feel good.
2. Climb The Hills and Walk On Uneven Surfaces
When kids are walking up and down the uneven surfaces then it can help them to build strength and endurance. Even you as parent can take them to the hilly park and walk with them along the beach or sometimes on the trail in the woods. Exposing your kids to various landscapes with slight elevation will help them to build optimal strength.
3. Coloring The Chalk
In this activity, the child has to squat down to draw on the sidewalks. It will strengthen his legs and trunk with proper holding. When the kids are holding the chalk then it will help him with fine motor and grasping skills. Sidewalk chalk can be used to create games like hopscotch or mazes. These games will promote movement and build endurance.
4. Playing With “open-Ended Toys”
With open-ended toys like ribbon dancing sticks, ropes, hula ropes they can be used in encouraging a child to put effort to their imagination. The open-ended toys can help your child to stay in continuous motion and encourage larger movements with arms and trunk.
5. Kids Riding Bike Or Scooter
While riding bikes or scooters will help your kids to work on their coordination, endurance, and overall strengthening. As simply said the more endurance activities your child engages in the more energy they will have for other activities of the day.
6. Water Play
Kids always love to play in the water during hot weather and most of them enhance gross motor skills. You can ask your kids to fill the bucket with water that can carry them around. They can make a baby pool or water the plants for an hour or so. Sometimes playing with the water table can also be a fun way to incorporate many other activities at once. The water table will help kids to observe the floating object or toys. Kids can also play with small squirt toys that will strengthen their hands.
7. Organizing Sports And Ball Games For Your Kids
You can play a friendly game of soccer with your kids. Beach balls will help your kids to develop hand and eye coordination.
Kids can learn the concepts of good sportsmanship and taking proper turns.
8. Outdoor Painting Projects
Playing outdoor can be real fun. You can lay a large “full-body skeets of craft paper or painting tarps on the ground. Fill the buckets with washable finger paints. Now encourage your kids to paint “big” signs with hands, legs, feet. It will develop a major muscle group.
9. Playing In The Yard
You can let your kids help you with your maintenance projects around the yard. Kids can help you with pulling out the weeds or lifting dirt, collecting sticks, raking leaves. This will develop the legs and help in balancing the body while working.
10. Visiting Playground
Playground is a great place for children to learn and develop gross motor skills. It include activities like slides, tubes, swings, see-saw which helps in developing body coordination, sequencing and core strength.
Children gather information by touching objects, doing activities and hearing noises in their environments. Get them engaged in these activities and you’ll see a major improvement in their gross motor skill development.